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In Polk, Highlands and Hardee Counties, a plaintiff filing almost any civil case must file the circuit's preapproved Civil Case Management Plan at the same moment as the civil cover sheet, complaint and summonses. This is not a later step: AO 3-42.2 directs the Clerk to refuse the initial pleading until the plan is filed.
All civil cases in circuit and county court in Hardee, Highlands and Polk Counties, except the eighteen categories listed in AO 3-42.2 ¶1 (including §51.011 and §45.075 actions, small claims not proceeding under the Rules of Civil Procedure, probate/guardianship under chs. 731-736, 738 and 744, administrative review, eminent domain, in rem forfeiture, habeas, actions by persons in custody, arbitration-award enforcement, rule 1.630 extraordinary writs, foreign-judgment actions, ch. 56 actions, specialty-division cases, ch. 415 / §§393.12 and 825.1035 proceedings, and claims requiring expedited resolution).
Plaintiff determines the case management track (streamlined, general, or complex) at the onset and files the preapproved Civil Case Management Plan (Attachment A to AO 3-42.2) together with the civil cover sheet, complaint, and summons(es). No separate order approving the plan is needed — Attachment A is preapproved by the administrative order itself. If the plan is not filed, the Clerk of the Circuit Court will not accept the initial pleading and will notify the filer.
Plaintiff shall file the completed preapproved Civil Case Management Plan in the case at the same time as the civil cover sheet, complaint, and summons(es) to be served upon all defendants. ... Initial pleadings that do not include the preapproved Civil Case Management Plan will not be accepted by the Clerk of the Circuit Court. The Clerk of the Circuit Court will notify the filer that the initial pleading is not being accepted for filing until the preapproved Civil Case Management Plan has been filed.
Parties in dissolution and most family financial cases must exchange a financial affidavit and specified financial documents within 45 days of service of the initial pleading, file a certificate of compliance, and supplement as circumstances change.
Small claims cases (up to $8,000) begin with a mandatory pretrial conference where the court narrows issues and typically orders mediation. Failure to appear can result in default or dismissal.
CV-E runs a structured 150-day case management conference track with published CMO templates for jury, non-jury, and complex settings, plus a projected-vs-actual trial period system and 2026–2027 published trial calendars.